Conundrum. TUPE, new company reservations
Conundrum. TUPE, new company reservations
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Blanchimont

Original Poster:

4,089 posts

145 months

Monday 29th April 2019
quotequote all
I'm in a bit of a battle between myself at the moment.

I joined company A a year ago, slotted straight into the team and was able to pick up a lot, and learn loads of new stuff very quickly. Within 6 months I was the most technical in the team, and I started making subtle noises about becoming a senior, or progressing even higher into an Azure engineer (this was my end goal). I was told this would come, but due to an impend takeover from another company this would go on hold, understandably.

We merged in Jan, and were TUPE'd over.

During the run up we were all promised repeatedly jobs were safe, we won't make people redundant, the reason why was the team I'm in was a huge factor in the merge, as we had skills they didn't, and wanted to progress into. all great, or so I thought.

After a month or 2 one of the heads of the company said to our entire dept that our jobs couldn't be guaranteed for more than 6 month due to lack of workload. A couple of us, rightfully, got antsy and started looking to go.

I then re-asked the question to the head of the dept and was flatly told that any promotions weren't happening, and that they're looking at pay freezes for us, to bring the other employees up to our level.

We were repeatedly promised a relaunch would happen and work would come flooding in. Relaunch hasn't happened, and responsibilities are being taken away from us all the time, leaving us with less and less work.

I've updated my CV, put it on a job board and updated Linkedin, and my phones been blowing with job offers, some doing what I do now, some doing more where I want to go. The same roles I do now are still paying 5-6k more, Azure roles 10k+ more than what I'm on now.

the only reservation I have is I really get on well with the team I'm in now. We all get on, have a laugh and go to the pub and get on well outside of work too. I almost don't want to lose that, but the company is almost forcing my hand.

TL;DR. Joined a great company, merged with a bad one. Company now putting pressure to force us out. Team is great and giving compelling reason to stay. WWYD?

CoupeKid

943 posts

88 months

Monday 29th April 2019
quotequote all
Who's to say that you won't have get on with the colleagues in another company?

When your current colleagues drift away you won't enjoy working at your current company anyway so why stay?

Mr Pointy

12,838 posts

182 months

Monday 29th April 2019
quotequote all
Go. Grow & learn new things.

Blanchimont

Original Poster:

4,089 posts

145 months

Monday 29th April 2019
quotequote all
that's my thought. I would've stayed if it work was picking up, but we're getting more and more taken away and nothing new coming in.
I was flatout told I will get a promotion following, but was told flatout that promotions not happening.

I've got it good where I am now, and won't jump unless the job is perfect. But the fact I'm getting calls for jobs 10k more means I must be doing something right.


Vaud

58,073 posts

178 months

Monday 29th April 2019
quotequote all
Go.

Azure skills are in demand. Go somewhere that is investing in people and teams.

NDA

24,845 posts

248 months

Monday 29th April 2019
quotequote all
Vaud said:
Go.

Azure skills are in demand. Go somewhere that is investing in people and teams.
This.

You will soon make new mates at a new firm.

Blanchimont

Original Poster:

4,089 posts

145 months

Monday 29th April 2019
quotequote all
That's what I'm thinking, and what you're saying seems to be backed up by the fact my phone is constantly going off with calls/emails about Azure stuff, which is a field I want to move into.

I think, should the right job come up, I'll go. I'm not going to leave to somewhere i have reservations about, as I'll wish I hadn't left.


eltawater

3,418 posts

202 months

Monday 29th April 2019
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Nothing lasts forever. Your current company could pull the rug out from your cosy working relationship tomorrow by making most of you redundant.

Take heed of the warning signs, it was nice whilst it lasted but it's time for you to move on under your terms.

Vaud

58,073 posts

178 months

Monday 29th April 2019
quotequote all
Blanchimont said:
That's what I'm thinking, and what you're saying seems to be backed up by the fact my phone is constantly going off with calls/emails about Azure stuff, which is a field I want to move into.

I think, should the right job come up, I'll go. I'm not going to leave to somewhere i have reservations about, as I'll wish I hadn't left.
If if you aren't certified on Azure, companies can't afford to be that fussy right now (take that the right way) as there is a shortage of skills against the demand. Ditto AWS.

Go somewhere that will give you access to cross train, Azure is a big portfolio.

anonymous-user

77 months

Monday 29th April 2019
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Your team's great so you stay
Your team all get pissed off and leave anyway

You've screwed yourself

They're colleagues not family, go to the job that will help you now or in the future

You'll forget them, or alternatively, you'll still meet them in the pub.

Anyone that stays in a job where they're being screwed, just because they get on with their colleagues need to step back and think about what they're doing.

I maybe a cynic but I can't believe people ask this question over and over again.
Believe me either your employer of your colleagues will stab you in the back, look after number 1

Vaud

58,073 posts

178 months

Monday 29th April 2019
quotequote all
Or put another way - your loyalty to the company extends to the next pay day... and you can stay in touch with the team.

Or do what everyone else does - move and then poach the best.

NDA

24,845 posts

248 months

Monday 29th April 2019
quotequote all
keirik said:
look after number 1
Whilst that sounds ghastly - I have found in my many years on the planet it's very good advice.

You sound a loyal fellow, which I applaud, but it's easy to misplace loyalty and find that other people (higher up the greasy pole of depravity) don't give a damn.

I have acquired businesses in the past, people businesses, and we marked out those joining the bigger company - people like you. I would have had a conversation to reassure them that their future is bright.... and that they were committed to the business. It sounds like they are not able to have this conversation for whatever reason - so you need to look after number 1. smile

quinny100

1,001 posts

209 months

Tuesday 30th April 2019
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There is massive demand for infrastructure and cloud skills, and employers willing to pay top money if you’re good. It’s a sellers market at the moment so make sure you’re asking for a decent package. Some employers advertise roles at £30-35k that would easily pay £50k elsewhere.

Don’t let your current package hold you back from applying for better paid roles.

Before you start interviewing, grab a copy of a Kindle book titled Winning at Interview by Alan Jones. It’s quite short - you can read it in a couple of evenings and it gives a different perspective on the interview process and some useful techniques which work really well for IT roles.

Infraview are a very good recruiter for these sort of roles.

ruggedscotty

5,943 posts

232 months

Tuesday 30th April 2019
quotequote all
I've got it good where I am now, and won't jump unless the job is perfect

but you don't or you wouldn't be on a car forum, very fact your asking questions here means you know things are not good. go and grow. it doesn't look good where you are, take over has been done to given other company access to the market that your company had. once they have done that they will get rid, seen it many times before. they are protecting their own.

life isn't promised.

Blanchimont

Original Poster:

4,089 posts

145 months

Tuesday 30th April 2019
quotequote all
quinny100 said:
There is massive demand for infrastructure and cloud skills, and employers willing to pay top money if you’re good. It’s a sellers market at the moment so make sure you’re asking for a decent package. Some employers advertise roles at £30-35k that would easily pay £50k elsewhere.
.
I'm getting contacted regularly about jobs offering over 10k more than I'm on now. Even factoring in oncall and overtime it's still a big jump up.
I've completed the latest course, and have been using it daily for over a year. I'm not certified, yet. But aiming to be soon.

That doesn't seem to have held me back much, if at all.


CoupeKid

943 posts

88 months

Tuesday 30th April 2019
quotequote all
You might have in-demand skills now but in a few years time every Tom, Dick and Vinod will be claiming to have those skills and you won't have any advantage.

Move now, on your terms, and maximise your earnings. You might never get another chance.

Vaud

58,073 posts

178 months

Tuesday 30th April 2019
quotequote all
CoupeKid said:
You might have in-demand skills now but in a few years time every Tom, Dick and Vinod will be claiming to have those skills and you won't have any advantage.

Move now, on your terms, and maximise your earnings. You might never get another chance.
Indeed. Get certified on Azure, keep moving up the stack - the money is in anything AI, DevOps and any architect that actually understands how to integrate the old world with the new world... and which bits of Azure are available "not ready for primetime yet" (i.e. they don't quite work as MSFT claim)

The more a role can be made a commodity, the less your advantage to command a premium and/or outsourced.

Find elements that cannot easily be moved and are flavour of the month - e.g. DevOps is hard to offshore.

quinny100

1,001 posts

209 months

Tuesday 30th April 2019
quotequote all
Blanchimont said:
I'm getting contacted regularly about jobs offering over 10k more than I'm on now. Even factoring in oncall and overtime it's still a big jump up.
I've completed the latest course, and have been using it daily for over a year. I'm not certified, yet. But aiming to be soon.

That doesn't seem to have held me back much, if at all.
Certs are far from the be all and end all. Don't hold off applying for jobs because you don't have certs. I've met plenty of people with certifications who are incapable of doing the job in the real world. Certs never cover what to do when something has gone horribly wrong, or ask you to demonstrate any sort of troubleshooting ability.*

Knowing the maximum number of vCPU's a VMWare virtual machine supports in vSphere 6.5 off the top of your head is of questionable use given my 11 year old daughter could answer it within 30 seconds by looking online, yet this is exactly the sort of stuff that will get you a cert.

If I had my time again I'd move jobs way more frequently, and if you want a really good career in infrastructure get yourself into a decent MSP at the earliest opportunity. You learn things so much quicker when you've got hundreds of environments to maintain or projects to run across organisations rather than just one.

  • Some very high end certifications with a lab requirement do, eg CCIE.

Blanchimont

Original Poster:

4,089 posts

145 months

Tuesday 30th April 2019
quotequote all
quinny100 said:
Blanchimont said:
I'm getting contacted regularly about jobs offering over 10k more than I'm on now. Even factoring in oncall and overtime it's still a big jump up.
I've completed the latest course, and have been using it daily for over a year. I'm not certified, yet. But aiming to be soon.

That doesn't seem to have held me back much, if at all.
Certs are far from the be all and end all. Don't hold off applying for jobs because you don't have certs. I've met plenty of people with certifications who are incapable of doing the job in the real world. Certs never cover what to do when something has gone horribly wrong, or ask you to demonstrate any sort of troubleshooting ability.*

Knowing the maximum number of vCPU's a VMWare virtual machine supports in vSphere 6.5 off the top of your head is of questionable use given my 11 year old daughter could answer it within 30 seconds by looking online, yet this is exactly the sort of stuff that will get you a cert.

If I had my time again I'd move jobs way more frequently, and if you want a really good career in infrastructure get yourself into a decent MSP at the earliest opportunity. You learn things so much quicker when you've got hundreds of environments to maintain or projects to run across organisations rather than just one.

  • Some very high end certifications with a lab requirement do, eg CCIE.
That's what I've done. I started as a junior, within 8 months promoted to regular.
moved around every 2 years or so, and always learnt more and more. To the point that now, at 25, I know more that other people in the team pretty much double my age.

Blanchimont

Original Poster:

4,089 posts

145 months

Monday 20th May 2019
quotequote all
To update:

Have a new job, notice handed in. Company now crapping themselves and i'm beng hauled in for meetings to find out why I'm leaving.